Thursday, July 23, 2009

Watching President Obama's Press Conference on Health Care, I spent much of my time with my mouth hung open with disbelief. For fun, I decided to elaborate on one of the Commander in Chief's answers to the question 'Have you informed Congress on how to pursue Health Care reform.' Of course he answered as if the question was "How will you pay for Health Care" were asked, but oh well, it's all politics and semantics, right?

The President stated that 2/3s of his Health Care Plan was deficit neutral because tax revenue would be shifted from one area to another. He'd make everything more efficient in order to make this happen. All right, I doubt that will work, but let's say it will to humor the President. For the rest of the answer, he touted that taxes and sacrifices will only pay for the other 1/3. Over and over again. the President referred to the 'small' 1/3 of Health Care reform that people will have to pay for. But let's take a step back...

The Health Care Reform Bill will cost approximately 1.5 Trillion dollars, right? Okay, so the 1/3 of the cost that the rich will pay has been lauded by the Pres., correct. Well, if the President can do simple mathematics, that is $500,000,000,000, or 500 Billion. Wow, that's a lot. Wait, don't freak out yet, divided by a bunch of rich people that can't be too much, right? Right?

Well, the President says that he only wants to tax those who make over one million dollars a year. Okay, sounds good, but how many people in the US make over a million bucks? Not having a net worth of one million or more, but have an annual income of $1,000,000 or more. According to Leonard Beeghley, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida, .9% of the richest people make $350,000 annually. Well, that's still not quiet one million, so let's say that approximately .3% of the US population makes $1,000,000. I don't know the actual number, but I'm being kind and saying .3% instead of the more likely .25 or .2%.

All right, lots of math will bring a big payoff, so just a little more... There are approximately three hundred million people living in the United States. .3% of 300,000,000 is nine hundred thousand people, or 900,000. Okay, the big payoff: the five hundred billion dollars divided by the nine hundred thousand people who would pay for it is... $555,555.56 over ten years.

So in other words, if President Obama actually gets those making more than one million dollars annually to pay for health care, they will pay approximately $560,000each.

$560,000 each!

Yes, my fellow Americans, President Obama cannot do math if he thinks this is viable.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Every once in a while, I like to read quotes from our Founding Fathers, especially from the greatest of all of them - Author of the Declaration of Independence, Virginia statesmen, and the third President of this great Nation - Thomas Jefferson.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. "

Thomas Jefferson understood the preciousness of Freedom so much, it is maddening to see some of the ignorant fools who are running this Nation - saying they are the defenders of Freedom, when they are not.

"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared."

He understood that massive debts are among the most evil actions to be feared by the government, as it will result in loss of liberty - via high taxes, government control, etc.

"I like to see the people awake and alert. The good sense of the people will soon lead them back if they have erred in a moment of surprise."

Perhaps a piece of wisdom, that should be held highly today.

"Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle."

The only thing he hated more then tyranny, was newspapers - however, he believed 100% in the freedom of the press, that it was important for the press & government to be separate forces (especially the media against the government).

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

This wisdom is relevant to the Currency of the United States and the Federal reserve. As only Congress has the right to coin currency, and because it has not done so - it has been out of the hands of those it belongs to - the people & the peoples representatives, instead it has/is led/leading to a lot of problems that have occurred over the past hundred years.